Mercer family accept Salmond's apology for attack on former Hearts chairman

Published on Friday 20 March 2009 21:11

THE family of Wallace Mercer have accepted an apology from Alex Salmond, the First Minister, and agreed to draw a line under the controversy generated by hurtful comments made about the late chairman of Heart of Midlothian by the politician.

Iain Mercer, Wallace's son, said the family had no desire to prolong the dispute after Salmond expressed regret for drawing comparisons between Mercer's tenure in charge of the club and Vladimir Romanov's regime. Although later insisting he'd meant no disrespect, Salmond did say he didn't like Wallace Mercer, his politics or his attitude.

Iain Mercer said: "It's an apology of sorts. He's tried to justify his comments. But, really, we've said our bit now and I think this knocks it on the head. We're not looking for anything more out of the guy."

Asked to explain his remarks, Salmond, a supporter of Hearts, said: "The question asked was if Vladimir Romanov is a safe pair of hands, and the point I was making is that football chairmen and owners often have a difficult relationship with the fans, for a variety of reasons. I meant absolutely no disrespect to the late Wallace Mercer, and am very happy to apologise for any offence taken by his family."

There was no doubt the Mercer family did take offence after Salmond told an English newspaper earlier this week: "Vladimir Romanov, for me, is a kind of 'Baltic States Wallace Mercer' – he is unsafe hands. When Mercer took over Hearts, the club was in unsafe hands. Wallace is dead and gone now, of course, but I didn't like him either. I didn't like his attitude, I didn't like his politics and I didn't like his attempt to take over Hibernian."

Iain Mercer added: "My Dad isn't here to defend himself. For the First Minister to say 'He's dead and gone now; I didn't like him either', well, I thought that was despicable. To pick on someone who is no longer around was outrageous.

"By his own admission, my father felt the attempted take-over of Hibs in 1990 was a step too far. He also knew the team needed more investment than he could sustain, as the Old Firm stretched further and further ahead. That's why in 1994 it was the right time for him to go.